Our local Sheriff's office had an auction this month to clean out unclaimed property, and of course I had to have a look. They had a little of everything...cars, bikes, tools, machinery, ammo, and guns. Unfortunately, because of Covid, it was online only...there was no opportunity to view or handle any of the items prior to bidding. The online listing consisted of a one-line description of what the item was (nothing about condition), and one or two VERY low resolution photos.

Most of the guns and ammo went stupid high very quickly, but there was a .357 Ruger Blackhawk that was sitting static at $475. The photos weren't great, so I was kinda rolling the dice, but I figured it's hard for somebody to break a Blackhawk. I've been wanting a .357/9mm convertible for a while, and I've heard that Ruger will fit a new cylinder if the gun left the factory as a convertible. Even if it didn't, or they won't, I figured I could try my hand at fitting one. I decided to take a chance, and ended up winning it for $500.

I went to pick it up today, and after standing in line for an hour while the poor auction lady processed an unbelievable number of 4473s, I finally got to take a look at it. When I did, I blurted out, "Holy crap, it's a 3-screw!". It's unconverted....and no worse for wear for sitting in an evidence room for who knows how many years. The serial number dates it to 1968.

The previous owner had coated (badly) the front sight blade with some orange paint that I'm still working on getting off. The ejector rod housing was loose, but the screw just needed tightened, which I did after taking it apart for cleaning, and applying loctite (I learned my lesson from my S&W thumbpiece screw incident last week!). There's a little tarnishing on the side of the hammer, which I still need to work on, and some nicks and scratches on the butt, but nothing that I would attribute to abuse. I haven't shot it yet, but everything seems to function check ok.

Because it's unconverted, and I want to keep it that way, it's not going back to Ruger. That means if I try to fit a 9mm cylinder, I'm on my own. Does anybody know if one from a NM would even be compatible with an OM? Provided the circumference and charge hole positions are the same, as well as the ratchet design, I imagine it would. Forum member cee_Kamp had a timely post today with some details on his similar project (with a New Model), and it seems like an attainable project if I can find a cylinder. From my reading elsewhere, it seems I need to find one that either fits or is too long...you can always mill material off, but putting it back on isn't really an option.

Even if I can't fit a 9mm cylinder to this gun, I'm still tickled pink with it...and glad that I live in a place where the local Sheriff is willing to sell this stuff back to the public rather than sending it to the smelter.

Looking great. Unless you want to share ammo, or get extra versatility, seems the 38-357 spectrum is already a good range.

I have shorter barrel Blackhawks in 45 Colt & 41 mag, rugged & simple.

Very nice pickup! That’s a great looking gun.

Great find, and I love that barrel length. My favorite BH barrel length.

You might want to open an account at Ruger Forum.com and ask that question in the revolvers forum. It's a great community and lots of Ruger knowledge.

Welcome to the single action side!

We have jackets.

Sweet!

A few years ago I had rescued a J.P. Sauer and Sohn revolver in .44 Magnum. It wasn't in as good of shape as yours, but the blueing on it looked like a mirror. Once I found (or made) the parts that were needed, it was all of $128.

If you locate a 9mm cylinder that fits into the cylinder frame, and the barrel cylinder gap is good, but has excessive end shake, a bushing can be machined with a appropriate counterbore in the front of the cylinder. This addresses excessive end shake. But this remedy is not something you do on the kitchen table. Or you can have a custom cylinder made from steel bar stock.
Similar to the Colt Single Action Army, several generation of the SAA have a removable bushing at the front of the cylinder.
Both the bushing install and custom cylinder require skilled gunsmiths and are not inexpensive.

Yes, join the Ruger Forum so you can tap into the knowledge base there.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
Unless you want to share ammo, or get extra versatility, seems the 38-357 spectrum is already a good range.

I have shorter barrel Blackhawks in 45 Colt & 41 mag, rugged & simple.

I agree that the 9mm spectrum is pretty well covered by .38 and .357, but I've had a hankering for a while to get a 9mm revolver, and I just can't get the idea out of my head. I already have a .45 Colt/.45 ACP convertible Blackhawk, and the gun actually shoots .45 ACP better than .45 Colt...and the short cases are easier to extract. Plus I already load a ton of 9mm. But I'll agree this may not be the gun for that project...just examining options.

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:
My favorite BH barrel length.

Mine too! My .45 is a 4 5/8, and I have a Single-Six 5.5. The 4 5/8 balances and carries better, IMO. The 5.5" does have the edge for long range shooting, though.

quote:

Originally posted by Blackmore:
You might want to open an account at Ruger Forum.com and ask that question in the revolvers forum. It's a great community and lots of Ruger knowledge.

You're probably right. I had to pull everything out of the safe last night to find a way to shoehorn this thing in there, and came to the conclusion that I have a serious Ruger problem (I think I'm up to 8). I just haven't really pursued joining other forums as I'm kind of invested here, and this place has awesome folks who usually have answers, even for guns that aren't made in Germany or New Hampshire.

quote:

Originally posted by Rolan_Kraps:
Welcome to the single action side!

Thanks! I already dabbled, but now I'm hooked. You're one of the awesome folks I was referring to above regarding the breadth of firearms knowledge on this forum. And seeing your pics, I'm encouraged to know that my Ruger addiction may not be as severe as some .

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
Once I found (or made) the parts that were needed, it was all of $128

Now that's a deal!

quote:

Originally posted by cee_Kamp:
Both the bushing install and custom cylinder require skilled gunsmiths and are not inexpensive.

Yeah, it's starting to sound like something I may need to leave to a professional. Or maybe just buy a convertible model some day.


I got the three-screw out to the range today. I didn't have any .357 to put through it, but I did have some mouse fart and hot jacketed .38 +P handloads. Initially it was hitting left, but I noticed that the previous owner had the rear sight set about two clicks to the left, so I centered it up and that brought it right where it needed to be. It grouped ok...not quite as good as my .45, but I have a load that that one really likes, and custom grips that really fill my hand. I think with a little work I can get this one there.

That's a great find! Nicely done - those are getting a bit harder to find in original condition/unmodified.

Modern mass produced guns are pretty plug-n-play. I would bet you can probably get a drop-in, if it isn't a hard used 9mm cylinder. I've had excellent luck with 3 NAA cylinders and 1 NM BH cylinder.

Congrats on finding a 3 screw Ruger. Some years ago while in Alaska carried one for several years even though it was considered on the "light side". Taught the wife to shoot by loading with light 38 mouse rounds to 357 mag loads with a empty chamber thrown in ever so often to teach her not to flinch and anticipate the round being fired. Sure miss that pistol. Please keep it orginal and find a 9mm convertable. ....................... drill sgt.

That’s a dandy. Nice catch. You probably know it should be carried with an empty chamber under the hammer, since it’s an unconverted Old Model.

This company offers shims to help set up the proper endshake on a revolver cylinder, which can sometimes make fitting a replacement cylinder a little simpler.

https://www.triggershims.com/cylinder_shims.php

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
That’s a dandy. Nice catch. You probably know it should be carried with an empty chamber under the hammer, since it’s an unconverted Old Model.

This company offers shims to help set up the proper endshake on a revolver cylinder, which can sometimes make fitting a replacement cylinder a little simpler.

https://www.triggershims.com/cylinder_shims.php

Yep, absolutely. Load one, skip one, load four. Had a good time at the range teaching my son about the differences between the new and old models yesterday, and the reasoning behind loading 5. I don't see this one getting a lot of holster time though...more of a range toy, albeit a fun one. I have woods-carried my .45 Blackhawk out west...and that would likely be my carry choice again under similar circumstances. In any environment that I'd carry a single-action, 6 rounds of heavy .45 Colt beats 5 of .357 IMO.

Thanks for the link...it may prove useful if I end up picking up another cylinder.